Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets kicks off its all-access, five-episode season on HBO on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
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"I just think the more that he can get out there and be exposed to that kind of stuff, the better his progression is going to be," Lowery said Tuesday between practices.

Forget the fact that Lowery is in the mix for a starting job if Revis' holdout drags into the regular season. If the Jets are going to prepare for life without Revis, Lowery thought, Wilson needs the experience.

"When Dennis told me, I was like, 'What?'" Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "I had never heard that before in my life. This kid loves to compete, yet it's just another example of an unselfish act by a teammate."

Revis has missed 10 days, including Tuesday, since the Jets reported for training camp at SUNY Cortland. He's scheduled to make $1 million in the fourth year of his six-year rookie deal, but he wants to become the NFL's highest-paid cornerback.

The Jetsturned down the latest contract proposal from Revis' agents after a sit-down meeting last Friday, and general manager Mike Tannenbaum said it was "hard to say" when the sides would talk again. Jets owner Woody Johnson said Monday he wasn't optimistic a deal could be done before the season, and he told 1050 ESPN New York on Tuesday that the gap between the sides is "insurmountable."

It is believed that one major sticking point is the lack of guaranteed money included in the Jets' offers, but Tannenbaum disagrees.

"As I said at the start of training camp, our offer to Darrelle Revis conveyed that we are flexible on how the guaranteed money is structured, including the areas of signing bonus, roster bonus and option bonus," Tannenbaum said in a statement Tuesday night. "This situation revolves around a fundamental disagreement in total compensation."

Johnson also told 1050 ESPN New York that he was "rebuffed" by Revis' agents when he asked to be part of that meeting. Agent Neil Schwartz told The Associated Press: "That's a blatant lie. Whoever gave him that information is incorrect. I wanted Mr. Johnson's thoughts on the proposal, so why would I not want him there?" Schwartz added that he would meet with Johnson "any time, any place."

In Revis' absence, Wilson has been working with Antonio Cromartie in the starting secondary, while Lowery mixes in at safety, cornerback and nickel back.

"Like I say, don't feel sorry for us," Ryan said. "We have everything we need here on defense. The addition of Cromartie was enormous for our football team, and the fact we drafted Kyle Wilson, who's an outstanding player. That helps us a great deal."

Ryan said Wilson would start the preseason opener against the New York Giants on Monday night.

"I talked to Dwight and he told me, 'You'll probably be playing a lot for us and you need to keep going out there and competing against some of the top guys,'" Wilson said. "D.T. has just been telling me to get in there and I jumped in."

Added Ryan: "Right now, he's obviously in a much bigger role than maybe we even anticipated."

Reality is starting to set in for the Jets, who aren't sure when -- or if -- their All-Pro cornerback will join them this season.

"You hope that one day you're in a meeting and he walks in," Lowery said, "but the more time that passes, the more it hits home a little bit and you realize there's a possibility he won't be here."

For a team with Super Bowl hopes, the thought of perhaps their best player sitting out an entire season could be scary. But the Jets insist life will go on if that happens.